Photo: Daniel GauntDefending Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge champion Craig Baird put the ZM Mad Butcher Porsche 997 on pole for this weekend’s final round of the 2010/2011 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge being held near Taupo.
Setting a time of 1min29.579sec on his second lap of the 3.5 kilometre circuit this morning, Baird strengthens his chances as a title contender against current leader and team-mate Daniel Gaunt in the MPD VnC Cocktails car.
“It was a struggle to be honest,” Baird said of the morning session. “The track was very slippery - I just managed to string enough of the sectors together to get a time that didn’t get beaten. Even after putting newer tyres on, the time just wasn’t there so I kept circulating. Tyre wear is a real issue, so conservation was just as important as setting fastest time for the start of this afternoon’s 30-lap endurance race.”
Holding second fastest time during the latter stages of the 20 minute session, Gaunt was pushed from the front-row spot by the narrowest of margins by rival Jonny Reid. The trio are separated by less than half a tenth of a second.
With half a hand on the title heading in to this weekend’s final of six rounds, Gaunt says the increased pressure will really only become apparent after the late afternoon race.
“So much of the race result hinges on the pit-stop,” said the 26-year-old. “It introduces a huge range of extra variables, and while the Triple X team have been practising and practising their routine, it’s about mistake free application for everything to work out right.”
Setting fifth fastest, Hamilton’s Ant Pedersen will start the VnC Cocktails car from the third row, with Auckland’s Hugh Gardiner in the Gardiner Motorsport Porsche 997 alongside in sixth.
Whangarei’s Scott Harrison was seventh fastest with Mad Butcher CEO Michael Morton in the Outlaws Bar Porsche 997 tenth.
With the all-important 30-lap race starting at 5pm, the three race weekend includes a ten-lap race on Sunday morning with the season concluding top-six reverse grid race of 14-laps to start at 3:14pm.
Qualifying: Crown Lift Trucks Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge – Taupo, 12 March 2011.
Pos,Car,Driver,Hometown,Team,gap
1,1,Craig Baird,Gold Coast,Triple X Motorsport,1m29.579s
2,2,Jonny Reid,IMS,0.03
3,3,Daniel Gaunt,Auckland,Triple X Motorsport,0.057
4,32,Mitch Cunningham,IMS,0.856
5,4,Ant Pedersen,Hamilton,Triple X Motorsport,1.074
6,15,Hugh Gardiner,Auckland,Triple X Motorsport,1.743
7,5,Scott Harrison,Whangarei,Triple X Motorsport,2.216
8,26,Simon McLennan,Mservices,3.164
9,11,Simon Evans,IMS,3.48
10,8,Michael Morton,Auckland,Triple X Motorsport,6.195
